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Hello from Ms. Bunnell!

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Hello students and families! I would like to introduce myself. My name is Ms. Bunnell and I am currently a student at Illinois State University studying Elementary Education. I will be receiving my Bachelors of Science in Elementary Education in May of 2012. I will have endorsements in Language Arts, Reading, and Mathematics. I will be student teaching in Spring of 2012. I took the time to create this page as a way to enhance student learning while we are studying Ukraine. On this website you will find supplemental information and activities that will help deepen the understanding of this continent and it's countries. In addition to the information on Ukraine, you will find links to information on Hungary, Poland, Russia, and Serbia that have been created by my classmates. We know a lot about our own continent and country, but it is important to learn about other places as well. So, please take the time to browse through the pages and do the activities. I will be updating information on this page periodically regarding homework and other activities. Please feel free to contact me with any questions via my email: jcbunne@gmail.com. I look forward to hearing from you!



My Educational Philosophy

I feel that it is important to share with you my educational philosophy. As a teacher, I am constantly growing in my beliefs and techniques. However, there is always a basis that I come from when teaching and learning. Please read below for my beliefs on what is important when it comes to educating your children and myself.
As teachers, we have various moral and intellectual demands that we must meet. Every time that we meet a goal, we are learning more about who we are and who we will be. By keeping in mind the moral and intellectual virtues expected of us as teachers, we will be able to better serve our community and our students.
Of the given moral virtues, I found one to be the most important. That one was to have “sensitivity toward the varieties of individual and cultural diversity.” I found this one to be the most important because I remember issues concerning this in my high school. I went to a primarily Caucasian school. Some of the teachers and many of the students seemed to take issue with non-Caucasian students. There were things said that were inappropriate and some of the culturally diverse students took offense at these. I hope to remember what I saw occur in my high school and use that experience in my future. I plan to be a respectful teacher and be sensitive towards the individual differences and cultural diversity of my students. I will do this by doing my best to treat my students as equals and show respect for their individuality and different cultures.
One intellectual virtue that I found important was the one that stated a teacher should have a “wide general knowledge and deep knowledge of the content to be taught.” Throughout my schooling, I encountered many teachers who did not know more than their subject matter. I also encountered teachers who had no interest in learning more about their content areas. As a teacher, I plan to be one who shows an interest in my work. I want my students to know that I am teaching them all that I know about the content and that I have done my best to learn all that I can. I also plan to know more than just my content area. I want to be well rounded as both a teacher and an individual and this requires having a general knowledge of a variety of subjects. To do this, I will educate myself in various ways (books, classes, general observations, etc.). I will also not stop my personal learning once I graduate college. I will continue to explore new developments in my field and outside of my field so that I can share these with my students.
The other intellectual virtue that I found to be important was to have “contagious intellectual enthusiasm and courage enough to be creative.” My high school biology teacher was an excellent example of this. She had great enthusiasm for learning and wanted to share that with us. She was also creative in the way that she taught us. We often worked in groups and did experiments and exercises that were not what one would expect in a biology class. I learned very much from this teacher. I would like to be able to have her enthusiasm and share it with my students like she did with us. I will do this by letting my students know that I am excited to be sharing my knowledge with them. I will also come up with creative ways to teach them. As an example, using common games that will help students to learn but allow them to have fun while learning (i.e. twister using fractions instead of colors).
As a teacher, moral and intellectual values are very important. I find sensitivity to differences, knowledge and enthusiasm to be in great demand. I plan to bring these virtues into my classroom and my society and share them with everyone that I encounter.

Classroom and School Calendar








Parent Volunteer Sign-Up

Parents, we are always in need of your help! Whether it is for ten minutes after school or an hour during the day, if you have any time to spare please contact me! Below are some specific times that we will need parent volunteers to help out. Please contact me if you are available for any of the times below or would like to schedule a time to help out that is not listed below. Thank you in advance for your time!
Date & Time
Volunteer Description
12/19/2011
1pm-2:30pm
We will be having our class holiday party on this day. We are in need of parents to organize this event and volunteer to supervise. Also, we will need beverages and snacks provided.
12/20/2011
5pm-8:30pm
This is the time of our holiday performance. All students have been invited to participate in this event and we need parent volunteers! We are asking parents to help with setting up seating, monitoring students, selling snacks and tickets, and breaking down seating after the event. You do not have to volunteer for the entire 3 1/2 hours, but please do what you can!
1/11/2012
10am-11am
On this day students will be presenting their projects on Eastern Europe. We would like parent volunteers who can help set up the tables and monitor students during the presentation time.
2/14/2012
1pm-2:30pm
We will be having our Valentines Day party on this day. We are in need of parents to organize this event and volunteer to help supervise. Also, we will need beverages and snacks provided.

Student Portfolios

Kelsi
Grubisich
Jackie
Pieroni
Ashton
Romine
Dane
Rybicki

Learning Resources for Students and Parents

National Geographic
This link provides many educational activities for students involving geography.

Geography Practice
While this website pertains to the Middle East, not Eastern Europe, it is beneficial for students while studying geography. Students will locate various countries within the Middle East by dragging and dropping country names onto their outline on a map.

Parent Involvement
This link has information to help parents understand the importance of being involved in children's education. It also provides information on how to become involved and discuss the importance of education with your children.




Page Created by Jessica Bunnell ©
jcbunne@ilstu.edu
Created: November 28, 2011
Last Modified: December 11, 2011